Apparatus and technique for harvesting plants rooted in the ground

ABSTRACT

The apparatus includes means for severing the body of earth contiguous to the roots of the plants from the surrounding ground; and means for relatively removing the plants from the body of root-contiguous earth, including means for lifting the plants in relation to the ground, and means for agitating the body of root-contiguous earth when it is severed from the ground, so as to loosen the earth and reduce its cohesion with respect to the roots, before the plants are lifted in relation to the ground. The apparatus is thus able to harvest the plants without undue damage to the roots. In addition, damage to the stems is minimized through the use of a special elastomer-faced belt lift mechanism as part of the lift means; and a rapid harvesting rate is maintained through the use of a special apparatus and technique for collecting and discharging the plants from the lift mechanism in a containerized condition.

United States Patent Arnold et al.

[ 51 Sept. 26, 1972 APPARATUS AND TECHNIQUE FOR HARVESTING PLANTS ROOTEDIN THE GROUND [72] Inventors: Eugene W. Arnold; Earl D. Hasenwinkle,both of Longview, Wash.

[73] Assignee: Weyerhaeuser Company, Tacoma,

Wash. 22 Filed: Sept. 24, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 75,219

521 US. Cl 171/61,47/1 [51] Int. Cl. ..A0ld 25/04 [58] Field ofSearch..171/61, 62, 21, 32,101,103, 171/104 [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS v 2,368,895 2/1945 Spiegl ..171/62 1,060,968 5/1913Booker ..17l/l0l 2,902,997 9/1959 Hawkins et al. ..l7l/6l 2,833,3585/1958 Lust ..l7l/61 Primary Examiner-Antonio F. GuidaAttorney-Christensen, Sanborn & Matthews [5 7] ABSTRACT The apparatusincludes means for severing the body of earth contiguous to the roots ofthe plants from the surrounding ground; and means for relativelyremoving the plants from the body of root-contiguous earth,

including means for lifting the plants in relation to the ground, andmeans for agitating the body of root-contiguous' earth when it issevered from the ground, so as to loosen the earth and reduce itscohesion with respect to the roots, before the plants are lifted inrelation to the ground. The apparatus is thus able to harvest the plantswithout undue damage to the roots. In addition, damage to the stems isminimized through the use of a special elastomer-faced belt liftmechanism as part of the lift means; and a rapid harvesting rate ismaintained through the use of a special apparatus and technique forcollecting and discharging the plants from the lift mechanism in acontainerized condition.

18 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENTEDszrzs 1912 3,693,721

sum 7 OF 7 INVENTORSL 541% D. HASE/YM/YA LE BY EMF/YE M ARA 04DAPPARATUS AND TECHNIQUE FOR HARVESTING PLANTS ROOTED IN THE GROUND FIELDOF THE INVENTION BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION INCLUDING CERTAIN OBJECTSTHEREOF I Unlike plantswhich have simpleand/or shallow root systems,such as carrots and onions, plants which have a deep and/or complex rootsystems are not readily susceptible 'to machine harvesting because ofthe p'robiemiof parting the roots of the plants'from the body of earthcontiguous thereabout. This problem is particularly acute when. theplants are intended for replanting.to undergo further growth thereafter,as in,

the case of nursery-grown tree seedlings which are intended forreplanting on a tree farm. I Heretofore, most such tree seedlings hadbeen handharvested' from the nursery for the reason that 'no means andtechniques had been developed whereby they could be machine harvestedwithout undue damage to theseedlings, andparticularly to the rootstructures ofthe same. Yet at best hand laborers can harvest only aboutl-,000'seedlings per man-hour where the ground has been pre-spaded by anundercutting machine; and this rate requires a considerable seasonallabor pool, as wellasa considerable harvesting period, with and'inwhich-to meetthedemand for seedlings on the farm-a demand that oftenruns into millions of seedlings per-season.

[One object of the present invention is to provide .an apparatus andtechnique of this nature whereby deeply arid/or complexly rooted plantssuch as tree seedlings, can be machine harvested at rates in the orderof 2,000 plants per minute per machine or better, using only a few menon the machine. Another object is to provide an'apparatus and techniqueof this naturewhereby the plants can be machine harvested without unduedamage to the same, and in fact, with so little disturbance to the lifetenure of the plantsthat they can be replanted for further growththereafter at survival rates of 90-96 percent or better. Still anotherobject is to provide an apparatus and technique of this nature wherebysuch plants can be machine harvested without the plants undergoing thestrain of being forcibly disengaged from the earth which is contiguousto their roots, as for example, where in the past they were simplylifted from ploughed soil, While weighty quantities of earth materialclung to the roots thereof and exerted a counterdirectional forcetending to tear and otherwise damage the roots and stems of the plants.A further object is to provide an apparatus and technique of this nature whereby such plants can be machine harvested without the stemshaving to bear the strain of being heavily weighted down by a sizableball of rootbound earth material during the course of their upwardtravel in relation to the ground. Still another object is to provide anapparatus and technique of this nature whereby such plants can bemachine harvested by lift mechanisms which apply only a relativelyslight gripping force to the stems of the plants; in fact, a force whichmight not otherwise be operable were the stems weighted down withundisengaged earth at the time of the lift operation. Still furtherobjects include the provision of an apparatus and technique of thisnature whereby such minimal gripping forces can be generated from a pairof travelling belts whose oppositely disposed faces define surfaces withwhich to grip the plants; as well as an apparatus and technique of thisnature whereby the plants can be collected and discharged from theharvesting operation in a containerizedcondition, and at a ratecommensurate with the machine output rates mentioned above-Still otherobjects include the provision of an apparatus and technique of this.nature whereby the entire harvesting I operation can be conducted on andwith respect to a carriage that is translated in the lengthwisedirection of rows'of the plants; and which is .operable to provideaccess to many rows at a time for the operation. Still further objectswill become apparentfrom the descrip- .tion of the invention whichfollows hereafter.

SUM-MARY OFTHE INVENTION 1] These objects and advantages are realized byan apparatus and technique of our invention wherein-the body of .earthcontiguous to the roots of the plant or plants, is severed from thesurrounding ground; and the when it is severed from the ground, so as toloosen the r plants are relatively removed from the body ofrootcontiguous earth by lifting theplants in relation'to the ground, andagitating the body of root-contiguous earth earth and reduce itscohesion with respect .to theroots, before the plants are lifted inrelation tothe ground. The agitated condition can be achieved in anumber of ways, includingvibrating or beating the body of earth intosuch a condition. Preferab y, the body' of earth is agitated to theextent that it achieves a fluidized condition, that is, one in which theparticles of earth undergo such relative motion that the body performsas a liquid or boils in the ground. Where vibration is employed toagitate the body of earth, such a condition is achievedby adjusting theamplitude and frequency of the vibrations until fluidization occurs. Inpractice, the necessary energy input will vary from one locale toanother, depending on the nature of the local ground material, but anempirical determination can be made and the means for agitating the rootcontiguous material can be designed and operated accordingly.

In particular, the agitated condition may be generated by means whichare movable through the ground about the plants, and operable to vibrateor otherwise agitate the body of root-contiguous earth either during,subsequent to, or bothduring and subsequent to the severance of theearth material from the surrounding ground. Preferably, the agitationmeans is movablebelow the body of root-contiguous earth, and operable toimpart vibratory forces to the same in a vertical plane during theseverance of the body of earth material from the ground. Also, it ispreferred to effect severance and agitation by a single means, as forexample, where a U-shaped plough blade is drawn or otherwise movedthrough the ground about the body of earth, and simultaneously vibratedin a vertical plane with respect to the same. In fact, the vibratoryeffect can be used to reduce the pull power needed to draw panied byanabove-ground agitation means which imparts further vibratory motion tothe body of root-contiguous earth, if any, which is lifted with theplants during the extraction operation. This further motion may also behe vertical plane and is usually imparted by a shaker grate or othersuch open-faced means which engage the underside of the plants, andvibrate in relation to the plants without imparting vibratory motion tothe same, because of the open nature of the means, unless there issufficient earth about the roots of the plants to rest the plants on therim or rims of the openings in the vibratory means. In' contrast,however, the primary, below-ground vibratory means is usuallyclose-faced, as with the plough blade, to generate the maximum allowablevibration forces in the root-continguous earth material.

In the lift operation, only a slight gripping force is needed because.of the light-weight condition of the plants made possible by theagitation means. There fore, to capitalize on this fact, another featureof the invention concerns the nature of the lift mechanism itself. Inthe preferred embodiments of the invention, we employ a pair oftravelling belts for the lifting operation, the faces of which areoppositely disposed to one another to define gripping surfaces for theplants therebetween, and biased relatively toward one another bynon-yieldable backing means, but fabricated from an elastomeric materialwhich accommodates the plants by undergoing elastic deformation betweenthe backing means. The best example of such an elastomeric material is acellular polymeric material of urethane, chlorinated 'butadiene or thelike which has been expanded to the extent of being capable of-thenecessary deformation. Typically, the cellular material is foamed to adensity of -8 pounds per cubic foot, and'is bonded onto'the belts inlayers about one-half inch thick. To maintain the necessary backing, aseries of crowder sheaves is employed between the ends of the belts, andthe sheaves are spaced apart at a distance which maintains light contactbetween the faces of the belts as they travel from end to end.

The belts are mounted on a carriage behind the rocker device, and travelon an incline to the ground, with the faces of the same parallel to avertical plane. Preferably, they are also vertically shiftable withrespect to the ground, and are interconnected with the carriage'by meanswhich'operate to maintain them at substantially the same inclination tothe ground as they are so shifted.

The secondary agitation means is interposed between thebelts and theground; and in the preferred embodiments of the invention, both thebelts and the secondary agitation means are cantilevered from thecarriage on which the rocker device is mounted.

In order to collect and discharge the plants in containerizedconditionas they leave the harvesting operation, the invention alsoprovides a further apparatus and technique wherein an elongated strip offlexible invention,

cloth-like covering material is mounted on a carriage behind the belts,in successive longitudinal sections of the same, each of which is rolledabout a mandrel and disconnected from the strip as it is filled withplants. Preferably, each sectionis unrolled from the mandrel,

and supported by an intermediate rod between mandrels; and, moreover,has means on one end thereof which are interconnectable alternately withthe.ad-'

jacent end of the next adjacent section, or the other end of the samesection. Forexample, the sections may be unrolled and suspended ashammocks between the respective mandrels and rods; and the rods mayBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These features will be betterunderstood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustratethe invention as it is applied to the harvesting of tree seedlings fortransplanting to a tree farm.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferredapparatus for carrying out the harvesting operation, when the apparatusis out of use;

FIG. 2 is a part side elevational view of the apparatus when theapparatus is ready for use;

FIG. 3 is a part side elevational view when the apparatusis in use;

FIG. 4 is a part plan view of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a schematic part cross sectional view of the earth severingand agitating mechanism in use;

FIG. 6 is a similar view but at right angles to that of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an underside view of the belt lift mechanism in use;

FIG. 8 is a part cross sectional view of the lift mechanism; g

FIG. 9 is an underside view of the belt lift mechanism in perspective,illustrating a different form of secondary agitating mechanism which maybe used therebelow;

FIG. 10 is a part side elevational view of the apparatus, illustratingthe hammock loaded containerization technique and the apparatus usedtherewith;

FIG. 11 is a part perspective view of the same;

FIG. 12 is a part perspective view of greater size, il-

lustrating the clip connections between hammock sections;

FIG. 13 is a still larger view of a clip connection: I betweencorresponding ends of a filled hammock such DESCRIPTION oF THE PREFERREDEMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, it. will be seen that the seedlingharvesting apparatus is mounted on a chaiselike carriage 2 for travelover the surface of=the ground,

l and comprises an earth severing and agitating mechanism 4, as well asa belt-lift mechanism 6 and a manually assisted containeriza'tionmechanism 8. The carriage 2 has a double-framed, open-bed chassis conthecrosshead 12 of the inside frame 10. The beam 22 of the hitch isclevised about a vertical axis'on the crosshead, and pivotallyinterconnected with the opposite end portions thereof, through a pair ofhydraulic cylinders 24, so that the machine operator 'can make fineadjustments in the travel of the carriage, with respect to one ofseveral clusters of spaced, parallel rows of seedlings 26 on the ground28 of a nursery. ln

this particular instance, each cluster has six rows of seedling, and thewheels of the tractor l8and carriage 2 are spaced apart accordingly;but-if desired, each cluster may have a far greater number of rows,since the capacity of the apparatus is not limited so much by theplanting practices of the nursery, as it is by the rate at which theseedlings can be containerized, and removed from the field.

The carriage is also equipped with a hydraulic mechanism 32 for raisingand lowering the apparatus with respect to the ground, and a powertake-off mechanism 34 for driving the various operational components ofthe apparatus; but a detailed description of the former, and the mode ofuse of the latter, will be reserved for a later time when the apparatusitself has been more fully described.

Referring to the apparatus therefore,'it will be seen that the earthsevering and agitating mechanism 4 comprises'a pair of spaced, parallelrocker beams 36 which are pivotally supported on a shaft 38 extendingbetween the rearwardly directed inside arms 40 of the frame of thecarriage. The beams 36 are unbalanced toward the front of the carriage,and have a U-shaped plough blade 42-suspended therefrom slightly to therear of the shaft 38. The plough blade 42 is multiply bolted to thebeams 36, and is accompanied by a set of spaced, vertically orientedslicer blades 44 which are collared about the shaft 38 and welded to across beam 46 that is bolted and welded in turn to the rocker beams 36at a location just forward from the shaft 38. The spacing between theslicer blades 44 corresponds to'the spacing between the rows ofseedlings in each cluster; and in addition, the blades 44 have a miteredor truncated side elevational configuration, as in FIGS.

l-3, with which they present a straight edge to the ground during theuse of the apparatusThe spacing between the hanger legs 48 of the ploughblade 42, on the other hand, is such that the bight 50 of the bladespans the full widthof the cluster; and in use, the bight 50 movesthrough the ground at a tilt of several such as -6, which continuouslyvaries, however, because of the manner in which the blade is employed,as'shall be explained.

Together, the blades slice and plough through the ground about the rootsof the seedlings and effectively sever the body of earth 52 contiguousto the roots of the seedlings from the surrounding ground 28. To someextent, the act of drawing the blades through the ground, also operatesto loosen the earth material which is severed by the blades. .However,it has been found that the seedlings can be more readily removed fromthe material, and with lessdamage to their roots, if the material issubjected to agitation, and preferably to fluidization, by imparting avertically oriented vibratory motion to the bight 50 of the blade as itmoves through the ground. Thus, provision is also made for rockingthebeams 36 about the shaft 38, through an arc length ofonevhalf inch ormore,,using a reciprocable drive mechanism 54 at the forwardends of thebeams; The drive mechanism 54 comprises a chainand-sprocket-driven shaft56 which is journalled in a pair of pillow blocks 58 on the arms 40 ofthe inside frame, and equipped with a pair of eccentric cams 60 that arerotatably interengag ed within a pair of follower cranks 62 pivotallyinterconnected to the sides of the beams. The drive sprocket 64 of thechain drive is secured to a stud shaft 66 which is pillow blocked infront of the cam shaft 56 on'the frame, anddriven in turn by the powertake-off 34 from the tractor, through a universal (not shown) andgearbox 70 therebetween. For safety, the entire arrangement is coveredby a housing 68, 72 which extends across the forward end of the frame 10and has a seat74 for an observer operator on top thereof.

The rocker beams 36 are also employed to agitate the root-contiguousearth 52 in a secondary agitation stage carried out after theseedlingshave been lifted above the surface of the ground. However,since this stage follows the initial stage of the lifting operation, amore detailed description of it will be reserved until a later timewhenthe lifting operation itself is apparent.

Referring now to the belt-lift mechanism 6, it will be seen that it ismounted on a jib frame 76 which is cantilevered from and pivotallyinterconnected to the upper rear ends of the arms 40 of the insideframe, by means of a pair of short links 78 which allow for considerablearticulation between the two frames. Support for the jib frame 76 isprovided by a pair of hydraulic cylinders 80 and turn-bolted guy lines82 which are pivotally interconnected between the frame 76 and ashears-like standard 84 erected on the inside frame 10. Structurally,the jib frame 76 comprises a pair of longitudinally extending spars86rigidly interconnected by several cross beams 88; and the belt-liftmechanism is slung from these cross beams by means of a set of seriallyaligned, spaced, parallel spindles 90 depending from each of theuppermost andlowermost cross beams 88' and-88". The mechanism 6comprises a multitude of elastomercovered, hard rubber belts 92 whichare stretched between and supported on pairs of driven and idler sheaves93 and 94 carried at, the lower ends of correspondingly longitudinallyaligned. pairs of spindles 90. The belts 92 have a multiple V-crosssection, andthe sheaves 93 and 94. are similar to cooperatively engagetherewith. The coverings 96 on the belts 92 are a 20 durometer, shore A,foamed urethane or neoprene elastomericmaterial whichrenders themutuallyopposing faces 98 of the belts highlyelastically deformable. Thefaces 98 are maintained in light contact with one another by blockassemblies of crowdersheaves 100 that are suspended on drop-posts 102from the. intermediate crossbeams 88", and interposed between thedrivenand idler sheaves 93 and 94 of therespective belts. The assemblies 100are arranged, adjacent the bottom ends of the belts, and crowd the belts92 together during the initialstage of their upward travel from theidler sheaves 94; thus providing the necessary backing to assure thatthe faces 98 of the belts engage with the seedlings 26 by localizeddeformation in the layers of elastomeric material 96. See FIG. 8 whereinit will be noted that the layers of material 96 take up the bulk of eachseedling and accommodate to it by undergoing internal deformation'orcompaction in their respective body planes, rather than by extruding outof their planes. I

' To rotate the belts 92, the upper spindles 90. are gear-driven from apair of hydraulic motors 104 mounted on brackets'106 on the uppermostcrossbeam 88'. The crowder sheaves 100 are supported on thrust bearings108, and also assist in carrying the weight of the belt assembly. Feltpads 110 protect the journal bearings 112 for the sheaves.

The secondary agitation stage mentioned earlier, is carried out by amechanism 116 which isslung below the belt lift mechanism 6. Referringagain to the inside frame of the carriage, it will be seen that a pairof extension brackets .118 are rigidly cantilevered fromthe rear ends ofthe arms 40 of the frame and braced against the legs 48 of the ploughblade to either side of the belt-lift mechanism. The brackets 118 havedepending forward sections 118, and a grate 120 of spaced parallelshakerrods is suspended between the sections 118' in one of several levels ofholes 122 spaced apart lengthwise thereof. The grate 120 under goesvibration with the blade 42, and is positioned to engage anystillearth-encased roots of the seedlings 26 as they travel upwardlythrough the belt-lift mechanism 6; so that before the seedlings exitfrom the upper end of the mechanism 6, their roots are effectively freedof all'earth material, and their bodies as a whole assume a nakedcondition in which they are readily susceptible to mass packing andoff-loading techniques. One such technique is illustrated in connectionwith the containerization mechanism 8, which will be described shortlyafter the mechanism 32 has been explained.

Referring again to the forward end of the carriage, it will be seen thatthere is a pair of upright brackets 124 welded to the front ends of theside arms 14 of the carriage, and another pair of such brackets 126welded to the arms 40 of the frame 10 at more rearward locationsthereon. Pivotally interconnected between the brackets on the respectivesides of the carriage, is a pair of hydraulic cylinders 128 whichoperate to alter the angular relationship between the frame 10 and theside arms 14, thus raising and lowering the rear ends of the frame 10,as well as the jib frame 76, and the belt lift and containerizationmechanisms 6 and 8, relative to the surface of the ground. This makes itpossible, in turn, not only to elevate the apparatus to a fullyinoperative position, as in FIG. 1, but also to adjust the elevation ofthe apparatus to accommodate variations in tree height. At the sametime, it is also possible to achieve an adjustment in the elevation ofthe jib frame 76 relative to the carriage frame 10, by using thehydraulic mechanism 80. The adjustment does not substantially vary theinclination of the jib frame, because of the articulation in the linkagearrangement 78.

When the apparatus is elevated to its inoperative position, pegs 130 areinserted through staples 132 on the side arms 14, and interengaged inclaw-like extensions of the brackets'l26 on the frame 10, to padlock theframe 10 in the elevated position.

In FIG. 9, the secondary agitation grate 134 is 'pivotally slung fromthe spars86 of the jib frame 76' by means of a four-bar linkage 138; andis separately 7 vibrated by a hydraulic motor-driven vibrator 136 Icontainerization mechanism 8, the jib frame 76 is also assisted equippedwith longitudinally extending guide bars 1 l4, and curvilinear shoes142, which are slung below and at the rear of the frame,-respectively,to tilt the seedlings to one side as they exit from the belt-liftmechanism,

the reason for which will be apparent shortly. In addi-' tion, otherguide bars 140 are slung below the frame to prevent the seedlings fromrecirculating through the mechanism 6.

Travelling behind the lift mechanism, on another chaise-like carriage144, is a slatted conveyor belt 146 which receives the seedlings fromthe belt mechanism as they are tilted by the bars and shoes into a morehorizontal condition, and discharged crosswise thereof. The conveyorbelt 146 elevates the seedlings once more, and ultimately dischargesthem into the manually containerization mechanism 8. This mechanismcomprises a davit-like stand 148, the spaced, parallel horizontal arms150 of which are suitably braced and equipped with pairs of raised,notched, oppositely disposed knolls 152 thereon. The legs 154 of thestand are connected with the arms 150 by rounded shoulders 156; and inuse, a'string 158 of rolled, bagging hammocks 160 which are seriallyinterconnected with one another by dual-purposespringloaded clips 162,is draped down over the shoulders 156 and legs 154 of the stand 148, tobe used by a worker on the carriage in collecting and containerizing theseedlings for off-loading on the ground. Each hammock 160 comprises apair of rigid tubes 164 and 166 having the ends of an elongated strip ofloose canvas 168, sewn or otherwise secured thereon. The clips 162 areU-shaped and used in pairs; and are adapted to be slidably insertedwithin the open ends of the tubes, where the longer legs 170 of theclips are interconnected within their respective tube by coil springs172 interconnected in turn by a wire 174. The shorter legs 176 of theclips have laterally outstanding pins 178 thereon which are adapted tobe received in either of diametrically opposed notches 180 in theadjacent ends of the non-spring-equipped tubes I64.

In the string 158, the canvas 168 is wound about the nonspring-equippedtube 164 of each hammock, and the clip 162 of that hammock 160 is swunginto interengaging relationship with the nonspring-equipped tube 164 ofthe next adjacent hammock, thus interconnecting all hammocks one to thenext lengthwise of the string. On the stand, the last canvas-wound tubel64 is progressively unwinds the remainder of the canvas, untilultimately the whole of the hammock is filled with seedlings. At thispoint, the operator, who stands before the hammock on a step, removesthe clips 162 of the spring-loaded tube 166 from their insertedpositions in the canvas-wound tube 164 of the next hammock, and rotatesthem through 180 as he lifts the spring-loaded tube from its notches anddraws it toward the now-unwound tube nearer him. When the two tubes haveassumed a suitable proximity, the clips 162 are then inserted in theunwound tube to fasten the hammock into a closed condition 30, so thatit can be off-loaded on the ground, as in FIG. 10, generally to bepicked up by a loader vehicle thereafter. See FIG. 13 for the closed andclip-connected condition of the tubes.

The notch and pin connections 180, 178, serve to prevent the unusedcanvases from unwinding as each hammock is pulled into the loadingposition of FIG. 11.

vln FIG. 14, a ribbed sidetracking conveyor 182 is em ployed todischarge the seedlings to one side of the line of movement of thecarriages, generally to a packing vehicle (not shown) travelling abreastthereof. In this way, off-loading on the ground can be avoided; and thevehicle is usually a fixed-volume vehicle which is replaced by anotherwhen it is filled.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a carriage having ground engaging elements thereonwhich are rotatable about an operatively fixed axis of the carriage, toenable the carriage to be advanced over the surface of the groundrelative to a series of plants rooted therein, spaced hanger meansdepending from the carriage, for advancement therewith on opposite sidesof the series of plants, a blade which is interconnected to the hangermeans, across the space therebetween, adjacent the lower end portionsthereof, and insertable in the ground below the roots of the plants,'tosever the body of earth contiguous to the roots, from the surroundingground, as the carriage travels over the surface thereof, lift meanswhich are movably mounted to advance with the car riage as it travelsover the ground, but which are also mounted to move in relation to thecarriage, over an elongated path inclined to the surface of the ground,and to engage the plants at a point adjacent the relatively lower end ofsaid path, so as to lift the plants to a point adjacent the relativelyupper end thereof, vibrator means which are movably mounted to advancewith the carriage as it travels over the-ground, but which are alsomounted to vibrate in relation to the carriage, in the space between thehanger means, and to engage and impart vibration to the body of rootcontiguous earth at a point relatively adjacent the relatively lower endof the path of the lift means, when the body is severed from the ground,and drive means which are operable to actuate the vibrator means and thelift means, when the respective means engage the body of root contiguousearth and the plants, respectively.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the blade is U-shaped inconfiguration and rigidly interconnected to the hanger means.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the blade is vibratablein relation to the carriage, and the drive means includes means operableto vibrate the blade, when the blade is inserted in the ground below theroots of the plants.

4. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the hanger means aremounted on the carriage to vibrate in relation thereto, and have theblade fixed thereon, and the drive means includes means operable tovibrate the hanger means, when the blade is inserted in the ground belowthe roots of the plants.

5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein the hanger means aremounted on ,a rocker device which is supported on the carriage to berocked about a horizontal axis thereof.

6. The combination according to claim 5 further comprising meansoperable to raise and lower the axis 7 of the rocker device, relative tothe carriage, to insert and withdraw the blade in and from the ground.

7. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the vibrator means ismounted to engage the body of root contiguous earth at a point below thesurface of the ground, when the body is severed from the ground.

8. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the vibrator means ismounted to engage the body of root contiguous earth at a point above thesurface of the ground, when the body is severed and lifted from theground.

9. The combination according to claim 8 wherein the vibrator meansinclude open-faced means which are engageable with the underside of thebody of root contiguous earth, and adapted to impart vibratory motion tothe body only when there is sufficient root contiguous earth to rest theplant or plants on the rim or rims of the openings therein.

10. The combination according to claim 1 further comprising a verticallyoriented slicer blade which is supported on the carriage and inset-tablein the ground in the space above the first mentioned blade, between thehanger means.

11. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the lift means and thedrive means for the same, are supported on the carriage.

12. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the lift means includesa pair of travelling belts, the faces of which are oppositely disposedto one another to define gripping surfaces for the plants therebetween.

13. The combination according to claim 12 wherein the gripping surfacesare biased relatively toward one another by non-yieldable backing means,but fabricated from an elastomeric material which accommodates theplants by undergoing elastic deformation between the backing means.

14. The combination according to claim 12 wherein the belts arevertically shiftable with respect to the surface of the ground, and areinterconnected with the carriage by means which operate to maintain thebelts on substantially the same inclination to the ground when they areso shifted.

15. The combination according to claim 12 wherein the faces of the beltsare substantially parallel to a vertical plane. T

16. In combination, a carriage having ground engaging elements thereonwhich are rotatable about an operatively fixed axis of the carriage, toenable the carriage to be advanced over the surface of the groundrelative to a series of plants rooted therein, spaced hanger meansdepending from the carriage, for advancement therewith on opposite sidesof the seriesof plants, a blade which is interconnected to the hangermeans, to vibrate in relation to the carriage, in the space between thehanger means, adjacent the lower end portions thereof, and insertable inthe ground below the roots of the plants, to sever thebody of earthcontiguous to the roots from the surrounding ground,

as the carriage travels over the surface thereof, lift means which aremovably mounted to advance with the carriage as it travels over theground, but which are also mounted to move in relation to the carriage,to engage and lift the plants to a point above the surface of theground, and drive means which are operable to actuate the blade and thelift means, when the blade is inserted in the ground below the roots ofthe plants, and the lift means are engaged with the plants.

17. The combination according to claim 16 wherein the hanger means aremounted on the carriage to .vibrate in a vertical plane thereof, and theblade is

1. In combination, a carriage having ground engaging elements thereonwhich are rotatable about an operatively fixed axis of the carriage, toenable the carriage to be advanced over the surface of the groundrelative to a series of plants rooted therein, spaced hanger meansdepending from the carriage, for advancement therewith on opposite sidesof the series of plants, a blade which is interconnected to the hangermeans, across the space therebetween, adjacent the lower end portionsthereof, and insertable in the ground below the roots of the plants, tosever the body of earth contiguous to the roots, from the surroundingground, as the carriage travels over the surface thereof, lift meanswhich are movably mounted to advance with the carriage as it travelsover the ground, but which are also mounted to move in relation to thecarriage, over an elongated path inclined to the surface of the ground,and to engage the plants at a point adjacent the relatively lower end ofsaid path, so as to lift the plants to a point adjacent the relativelyupper end thereof, vibrator means which are movably mounted to advancewith the carriage as it travels over the ground, but which are alsomounted to vibrate in relation to the carriage, in the space between thehanger means, and to engage and impart vibration to the body of rootcontiguous earth at a point relatively adjacent the relatively lower endof the path of the lift means, when the body is severed from the ground,and drive means which are operable to actuate the vibrator means and thelift means, when the respective means engage the body of root contiguousearth and the plants, respectively.
 2. The combination according toclaim 1 wherein the blade is U-shaped in configuration and rigidlyinterconnected to the hanger means.
 3. The combination according toclaim 1 wherein the blade is vibratable in relation to the carriage, andthe drive means includes means operable to vibrate the blade, when theblade is inserted in the ground below the roots of the plants.
 4. Thecombination according to claim 1 wherein the hanger means are mounted onthe carriage to vibrate in relation thereto, and have the blade fixedthereon, and the drive means includes means operable to vibrate thehanger means, when the blade is inserted in the ground below the rootsof the plants.
 5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein thehanger means are mounted on a rocker device which is supported on thecarriage to be rocked about a horizontal axis thereof.
 6. Thecombination according to claim 5 further comprising means operable toraise and lower the axis of the rocker device, relative to the carriage,to insert and withdraw the blade in and from the ground.
 7. Thecombination according to claim 1 wherein the vibrator means is mountedto engage the body of root contiguous earth at a point below the surfaceof the ground, when the body is severed from the ground.
 8. Thecombination according to claim 1 wherein the vibrator means is mountedto engage the body of root contiguous earth at a point above the surfaceof the ground, when the body is severed and lifted from the ground. 9.The combination according to claim 8 wherein the vibrator means includeopen-faced means which are engageable with the underside of the body ofroot contiguous earth, and adapted to impart vibratory motion to thebody only when there is sufficient root contiguous earth to rest theplant or plants on the rim or rims of the openings therein.
 10. Thecombination according to claim 1 further comprising a verticallyoriented slicer blade which is supported on the carriage and insertablein the ground in the space above the first mentioned blade, between thehanger means.
 11. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the liftmeans and the drive means for the same, are supported on the carriage.12. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the lift means includesa pair of travelling belts, the faces of which are oppositely disposedto one another to define gripping surfaces for the plants therebetween.13. The combination according to claim 12 wherein the gripping surfacesare biased relatively toward one another by non-yieldable backing means,but fabricated from an elastomeric material which accommodates theplants by undergoing elastic deformation between the backing means. 14.The combination according to claim 12 wherein the belts are verticallyshiftable with respect to the surface of the ground, and areinterconnected with the carriage by means which operate to maintain thebelts on substantially the same inclination to the ground when they areso shifted.
 15. The combination according to claim 12 wherein the facesof the belts are substantially parallel to a vertical plane.
 16. Incombination, a carriage having ground engaging elements thereon whichare rotatable about an operatively fixed axis of the carriage, to enablethe carriage to be advanced over the surface of the ground relative to aseries of plants rooted therein, spaced hanger means depending from thecarriage, for advancement therewith on opposite sides of the series ofplants, a blade which is interconnected to the hanger means, to vibratein relation to the carriage, in the space between the hanger means,adjacent the lower end portions thereof, and insertable in the groundbelow the roots of the plants, to sever the body of earth contiguous tothe roots from the surrounding ground, as the carriage travels over thesurface thereof, lift means which are movably mounted to advance withthe carriage as it travels over the ground, but which are also mountedto move in relation to the carriage, to engage and lift the plants to apoint above the surface of the ground, and drive means which areoperable to actuate the blade and the lift means, when the blade isinserted in the ground below the roots of the plants, and the lift meansare engaged with the plants.
 17. The combination according to claim 16wherein the hanger means are mounted on the carriage to vibrate in avertical plane thereof, and the blade is rigidly interconnected to thehanger means, across the space between the lower end portions thereof,to vibrate in conjunction therewith.
 18. The combination according toclaim 16 wherein the hanger means are mounted on the carriage to vibratein relation thereto, and the blade is responsive to the vibrationthereof, to vibrate in the space therebetween, adjacent the lower endportions thereof.